monday's buttons - week 13

Two different blogs!

Plus two fabulous gals!

Equals four amazingly creative buttons!

Sugar Bee: Craft Edition  Mandy, the creative brains behind Sugar Bee, has an infectious creative spirit . . . not the kind of infection that you go to the doctor to get a cure for, but the kind of infection you want to catch!  Okay . . . that was kind of an odd and maybe slightly disgusting way to say that I love her blog and her creative genius and, of course, her buttons, but I've been sick lately so I've got infections on the brain!  You just have to take a little looksie around the playroom she designed, you'll see exactly what I mean.  And just like the playroom, her buttons pop.  They are bright and cheery, and that signature bee is a key element of her design that I think is brilliant. 

1) How would you describe your blog in five words?
Fabulous crafts anyone can do!

2) Did you craft your buttons or did you inspire someone to craft/create them for you?
My sister-in-law, with a degree in graphic design, put them together for me. I think she did a great job!! I tried to make some myself but they always had a "homemade" look, and think her turned out real polished and professional. I thought I wanted a round button, but she gave me about 4-5 choices and the round one didn't make the cut. I narrowed the choices down to my 2 favorite but I couldn't decide between 2 of them, so I list them both on my blog so the grabber can decide which they prefer.

3) How do your buttons reflect your blog? What are you hoping they say about your blog?
I wanted them to match my blog, so if you see my button you think, "oh, I know that blog". I had a couple designs to choose from that my sis-in-law had done in brown and yellow (to mimic a bee) which I LOVED, but I really wanted the colors of the button to remind people of my blog, so I used the turquoise dots like my background. My blog background is bright and crisp, and so is the button. I think it reflects a fun spirit. I hope it draws people in!

4) What kinds of blog buttons stick out to you in a crowded sea of blog buttons?
I think the more simple buttons stand out. If there are too many words or images it gets lost in a crowd. I think bright colors help too. Something with punch! But it is sure hard to know what "punch" is - I tried it on my own and couldn't get the "punch" I wanted - I think if you're going to commission anything for blog design, a button is well worth it. You can figure out column headers and backgrounds, but for me, I needed button help.

A-Tisket A-Tasket  Before I became a mom who loves to read books to my kids, I was a kid whose mom loved to read to me.  I spent countless hours listening to my mom read beloved books like The Carrot Seed, Each Peach Pear Plum, A Button for Corduroy, Make Way for Ducklings . . . all classics!  I was drawn to Michelle's blog because of her buttons, but I love to read it now because she shares my love of children's books.  Check out her cute buttons - I can almost feel the breeze in my hair and the sun kissing my cheeks as I look at them.

1) How would you describe your blog in five words?

Collection of my favorite books

2) Did you craft your buttons or did you inspire someone to craft/create them for you?

I created them myself using a combination of hand drawn elements and Photoshop. I started with a photograph of my kids who were the models for two of the buttons. (Michelle has a third button . . . yes, that's right A THIRD BUTTON of a little boy reading . . . over at her blog.  Go check it out!)

3) How do your buttons reflect your blog? What are you hoping they say about your blog?

The best thing about a good book is that it takes you to some place new, it's a journey that you escape on. I loved the shabby blog background I found and thought that it captured the sense of walking along a path to this someplace else; starting the journey into a book. I used it as a starting point for my buttons. I have two preschoolers at home so a lot of what we read are children's book these days and I am very passionate about the need for reading to kids so I wanted the buttons to also be sweet and childlike.

4) What kinds of blog buttons stick out to you in a crowded sea of blog buttons?
I love colorful buttons with hand drawn or graphic drawn elements.

Take a moment to check out the blogs behind the buttons.

Craft on!